


Daybreak

by whitherwaywill



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: :), Auror Draco Malfoy, BAMF Hermione Granger, Crack Treated Seriously, Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter Friendship, F/M, Gen, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter Friendship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I have no idea how this ends, Jacob Black deserved better, M/M, POV Hermione Granger, POV Jacob Black, Past Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Pining Draco Malfoy, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, jacob isn't happy, renesmee isn't happy, so we're gonna fix that, the cullens are shady af, total crack fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24278281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitherwaywill/pseuds/whitherwaywill
Summary: When Hermione is sent on a classified mission with Harry and Ron, she expected to track down some vampires, and remind them of the Wizarding World's laws and ordinances. But when she comes across these unorthodox vampires and the lone werewolf, Hermione is forced to acknowledge and acclimate to a side of the world she never knew existed.
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale, Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Emmett Cullen/Rosalie Hale, Jacob Black/Hermione Granger, Jacob Black/Renesmee Cullen, Renesmee Cullen/Nahuel
Comments: 4
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> cross-posted from ff.net :)  
> this...my explanation for this travesty is that I have ongoing projects (*cough* Black *cough*) that totally drive me crazy so this is my distraction/break from all the angst I have to take seriously :)  
> i already have about 5 chapters on ff, so I'll post up here until they're even - from that point on, updates will be incredibly unpredictable, depending totally on how much I hate my serious projects :)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hermione enjoyed her job at the DRCMC—that is, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Every day was a challenge, but she felt she was really making a difference. Hermione didn’t want to stagnate in the post-war world, and only be known as the Chosen One’s Muggle-born sidekick. Really, between the werewolf rights law she had gotten passed and the official founding of S.P.E.W., she felt that she had left her mark on the world. In a good way.

That being said, trekking through a large, obscure patch of woods in the darkness before dawn was not in the job description.

She and her three companions crept through the forest, wands at the ready. Ron was on her right, shoulders slightly hunched. His head was on a constant swivel as they walked, blue eyes wide. Every so often, Hermione could hear him mutter something about spiders.

Up ahead, Harry led the group. His wand was out, a soft _Lumos_ lighting their way through the dim light. Draco Malfoy, a recent (and required) addition to their team, followed close behind Harry. The man’s hair practically glowed in the light Harry’s wand emitted. All four kept their eyes open…and three of them kept one eye on Draco.

Ron cursed as he tripped over yet another raised root on the forest floor. “...damn spiders,” he ended.

“Language!” Harry called from where he was leading. Ron huffed, eyes shooting daggers at Harry’s back. Hermione giggled, backtracking and offering a hand to help Ron up. He accepted it good-naturedly, and she helped haul him to his feet.

“Honestly,” he groused, brushing himself off as best he could with just one hand. His other hand had a firm grip on his wand. “Is it _really_ necessary to have our wands out while we’re wandering the woods? They’re becoming more of a hazard than a help. I could poke my eye out if I fall again!”

“ _When_ you fall again,” Hermione smirked. Ron cut his eyes at her. She abruptly stopped helping him brush off, and backed away, hands up. He gave her a small smile and a wink, squeezing her to his side for a moment before continuing to walk.

Up ahead, Harry had stopped, crouched behind a bush. “It’s absolutely necessary,” he said, batting Malfoy away. Draco had settled inches from Harry’s shoulder, and was pretending to suck Harry’s blood.

“I agree,” Hermione said. “We need to be prepared when we find the vampires.”

Ron rolled his eyes. “Reminds you of old times, doesn’t it?” he whispered as he and Hermione joined Harry and Draco behind the bush.

Draco cleared his throat meaningfully.

“ _Almost_ like old times,” Ron muttered. Hermione sighed.

“Oh, yes, I can see how this is exactly like old times for you three,” Draco said, settling himself comfortably on the ground. “Chasing monsters through the woods, right?”

“Not quite,” Harry mumbled, attempting to see through the bush.

“Vampires aren’t monsters,” Hermione stated. “We don’t use that terminology anymore, they’re simply called creatures—”

“Thank Merlin you’re here to remind us of the proper terminology,” Draco snapped. “Why do we have a DRCMC paper pusher here anyways?”

“First of all, I’m not a paper pusher,” Hermione began heatedly. “And second—”

“She’s the most knowledgeable about magical creatures, and the only one qualified to go on a mission like this,” Harry interrupted before the argument could gain any more steam.

“Yeah,” Ron said slowly. “It’s a collaborative effort. Small sting operation. Aurors don’t usually handle this sort of stuff but…” He shrugged.

“These vampires are unusual, or so we’ve been told,” Harry said. “They live amongst muggles, and display a few—er—oddities.”

“I’m sure we’re all dying to meet these creatures,” Draco said flatly. “Now, why are we sitting in the muck?”

Hermione turned to Harry, her knees squelching in the mud. The man had to suppress a laugh. The look she gave him clearly transmitted, ‘ _Let’s get this over with before I accidentally murder Malfoy.’_

“It’s a stake-out, of sorts,” Harry said, clearing his throat. “The vampires live about a kilometer that way.” Harry pointed west.

“A cabin in the woods,” Draco muttered. “How fitting.”

Harry raised his eyebrows. Draco, meeting his eyes, ducked his head and looked away. “Sorry, sorry, continue on, Potter.”

“Anyway,” Harry continued, “Our scouts in the town, which is another six kilometers _that_ way—“ he pointed east “—have reported that the bloodsuckers convene in the forest to, it appears, hunt.”

“Vampires,” Hermione mumbled. “Not bloodsuckers.”

Harry winced. “Right, sorry.”

Draco let out a long suffering sigh. “So, we’re hiding behind a bush until the vamps conveniently appear in that clearing?”

Harry rolled his eyes at Draco’s sneer. “They’ll show up,” Harry assured the group.

Ron snorted. “And if not, we all get to go home, right?”

Hermione was peering through the bush again, ignoring her company. Reaching back without looking, she waved her hand behind her in their faces. “I think someone’s coming,” she shushed them.

All three hushed, and silently peered through the bush over her shoulder. They didn’t have to wait long. A few milliseconds after Hermione’s warning, two blurs shot into the clearing. They slowed to a stop faster than should be possible, revealing two beings who appeared to be in their late teens. The male, who had shining copper hair, wrapped his arms around the shorter female and swung her in a circle.

“Wow,” Ron whispered. Hermione sighed, expecting some sort of comment on how stunningly gorgeous the girl was. Instead, Ron commented, “They’re paler than you are, Malfoy.”

“Shut up,” the blond grumbled.

“I don’t know, Ron,” Harry teased. “He might be just as pale. Are you sure you’re not one of them, Draco?”

“Yes,” Draco sneered. He directed their attention back to the clearing. “I don’t do _that_.”

Hermione gasped. While their small group had been otherwise occupied, the sun had come out from behind the clouds. Now, the light was catching on the vampires’ skin, and the two were glowing like a pair of diamonds in the sun.

“How…” Harry trailed off.

Hermione shook her head. “I’ve never come across anything that does that.”

“Er – guys?” Ron began uncertainly. “Is it just me, or are they looking straight at us?”

Harry started out of his daydream. “Oh, shit – “ He fumbled for his wand that he had dropped, Hermione and Ron scrambling to get up. Draco was still staring at the vampires, when they blurred into invisibility once more.

“Potter – “ Draco said sharply.

Suddenly, a voice came from right behind the group of wizards. “Hello.”

Hermione let out an undignified shriek (although that sound may have been Draco) and whipped around, wand out and a Protego on her lips.

“ _Expelliarmus_!” Harry shouted ineffectively. The spell hit the person behind them, and sent her stumbling back against a...wolf? Hermione blinked in confusion. Before her was a beautiful young lady, who looked as if some divine being had combined the best features of the vampires in the clearing into one person.

Faster than Hermione could blink, the other two vampires were in front of them. The female was immediately at the wolf’s side, fawning over the girl, while the male took up a protective stance in front of the two of them.

“Who are you?” the male growled. “And why are you spying on us?”

Hermione took a shaky breath, trying not to be dazzled by the male’s otherworldly beauty or his deadly snarl. Glancing to either side of her, she sighed as she saw her three companions were in full Auror-mode, wands at the ready. Hermione let out a breath, and lowered her wand.

“Let’s all calm down a little bit, shall we?” she said. Taking a step forward, she addressed the male. “My name is Hermione Granger, with the DRCMC. I assume you can understand me?”

“Of course we can understand you,” the female blinked. “What do you think we are?”

“Vampires,” Draco sneered. He hadn’t relaxed his protective stance. Hermione raised her eyebrows, but didn’t call attention to how he had edged his way in between the vampires and Harry.

The male straightened, a confused look on his face. “You...know?”

“Of course,” Harry said, pushing his way past Draco. “We’re with the Ministry of Magic. I’m Head Auror Potter, and these are Aurors Weasley and Malfoy.”

“Private consultant,” Malfoy corrected him. Harry ignored him.

The three vampires exchanged a look, and the wolf snorted. “I’m Bella,” the brunette said slowly, “And this is my husband Edward and our daughter, Renesmee. And I’m sorry, but was any of what you just said supposed to mean anything to me?”

“Do you work for the Volturi?” Edward asked, eyes flashing.

“Nope. They’re definitely human,” Renesmee muttered, sniffing the air.

“The Volturi could have hired humans,” Bella contributed.

“Is no one going to comment on the fact that these super-hot teenagers claimed the third teenager as their daughter?” Draco asked loudly. The vampires stopped talking and just looked at him for a moment.

Bella snorted a laugh. “I forget how confusing this can all be.”

“Why don’t you put down your sticks, and we can talk,” Edward proposed. The wolf, who Renesmee was still leaning on, snarled.

“Shhh,” she hushed the wolf, playing with the fur on his back. “They’re all right.”

“We’ll put our wands down, if you call your pet wolf off,” Ron said.

The wolf yapped an enraged bark, and the vampires laughed. “He’s not our pet,” Bella said in between giggles. “But why don’t you go change, Jacob.”

Renesmee patted the wolf on the head, and it sullenly jogged off into the woods. The Aurors kept their wands trained in the direction it disappeared.

“What—it’s just gone?”

“It takes a moment,” Renesmee said, smiling sweetly at Hermione.

Hermione shuddered.

After a few awkward moments, with both groups doing their level best to avoid staring at the other (and failing miserably), a man with tanned skin and shaggy hair loped into the clearing. Hermione’s breath caught in her throat as her gaze swept over his chest and perfectly shaped abdominal muscles. But his physical appearance wasn’t enough to distract her from the hard, resigned look on his face. And she knew that this man was the wolf.

“Are you a werewolf?” she blurted. The man didn’t even spare her a glance, shrugging her question off.

“That’s not possible,” Ron said. “Werewolves only shift during the full moon.”

The human wolf snorted. “Jacob,” Bella said, placing a hand on his arm as he slowed to a stop between her and her alleged daughter.

“It’s not,” Ron said stubbornly. Draco and Harry exchanged a glance, silently agreeing with Ron.

“Anything is possible,” Edward said, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled congenially. “Our cabin is a little way that way. Why don’t you come with us? You can meet the rest of our family, and we can answer any questions you have.”

It was so quiet, Hermione could almost hear the crickets chirping. She surveyed the supernatural creatures in front of her. Edward and Bella were relaxed, his arm around her, smiling angelically. Renesmee leaned her cheek on her mom’s shoulder, a matching smile on her face and her brown eyes ridiculously dewy. And Jacob…Jacob stood, his arms folded, stubbornly glaring straight at Hermione.

Harry tapped Hermione’s shoulder, and she was suddenly aware of the men crowding around her.

“What do you think?” Harry asked softly in her ear. Hermione shook her head.

“I think they’re insane,” she whispered. “But we’ve got to have _something_ to put in our report when we return home.”

Draco and Ron huffed a laugh, then glared at each other.

Hermione allowed herself a small smile at the familiar animosity between the two. Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath. The smile faded as she faced the vampires, ignoring the twinge of uncertainty their strange dynamic kindled.

“Let’s meet this family.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


	2. Information Overload

. . . . . . . . . .

“My brain is going to explode.”

Ron’s announcement called the impromptu meeting to an abrupt halt.

They were seated in a wide, spacious dining room, around a large, antique table. Bella, Edward, and Renesmee were seated on one side, along with four other members of their family: Carlisle, Esme, Alice, and Jasper. Harry and Hermione sat on the other side of the table, flanked by Draco and Ron.

“I – is he serious?” Esme asked nervously. One of her hands vaguely patted Carlisle’s arm. She glanced around the room, but her family was just as confused as she was.

Hermione sighed. “He’s not serious,” she said. “This is his way of saying that – well, that this is crazy.”

“Crazy indeed,” Draco murmured, watching as Harry scribbled violently on the sheet of paper in front of him, muttering to himself.

Carlisle smiled kindly, his eyes crinkling in the corners. He had the calm presence Hermione normally associated with Medi-Witches, which fit into his claim that he worked as a muggle doctor. Still, she couldn’t shake off the uneasiness she felt around this many supernatural beings.

“I understand this is a confusing situation for all of us,” Carlisle said. “Learning about a community of wizards and witches that exists parallel to our own community is quite shocking. Not to mention what appears to be different species of vampires within the genus.”

Hermione nodded. Next to her, Harry suddenly slammed down his pencil, and looked up. “Okay,” he said, taking a deep breath. “I think I’ve got it all.”

“Thank Merlin,” Ron sighed. “Can I get a condensed summary?”

Harry laughed. “This _is_ the condensed summary. Now,” he addressed the vampires across the table, “correct me if I get anything wrong, or if I’m missing any pertinent information.”

He picked up the sheaf of papers in front of him. Clearing his throat, he began to read. “So, you are a coven of vampires. Carlisle, you created Esme and Edward. And two others named Rosalie and Emmett, who are currently living as a married couple in New Zealand.” Carlisle nodded. “Jasper and Alice were created by other vampires, but separated from their creators and joined your group. Edward created Bella, but before she became a vampire, she and Edward had a baby…Renesmee?”

Renesmee nodded. “Right, and I’m half vampire, half human.”

“You all drink animal blood instead of human blood, too, is that correct?”

There was general confirmation from the vampires. Hermione watched tensely. She would be lying if she said her hand wasn’t firmly attached to her wand, under the table. She listened attentively as Harry went on to outline what they had been taught of the Volturi, the vampiric world’s rulers.

While she listened her attention wandered, her gaze dancing around the room, until suddenly, it was trapped by fierce brown eyes.

Hermione froze, caught in intense eye contact with Jacob. The werewolf had refused a seat, and was stationed by the door. He leaned against the doorjamb, arms folded and a fearsome scowl on his face. As Hermione watched, his scowl deepened. He tilted his head toward the door, maintaining eye contact, before silently ducking out of the door.

“…you move around every few years. The last place you were living was Forks, Washington, in the U. S. Now, you have a semi-permanent abode here in muggle Kent.”

Hermione stood. All of the vampires startled, and the one they called Jasper was on his feet in a flash.

“Harry,” she said, “do you mind if I get a breath of fresh air?”

Harry’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. Behind him, Draco raised a challenging eyebrow. “Of course not,” Harry said. The vampires across the table all agreed, Jasper slowly sitting down once more. “I was just going to begin going over the Wizarding World with them. Hurry back, okay?”

“Okay.” Smiling thinly, Hermione made her way out of the room, and made her way to the nearest exit.

Outside, she took a moment to breath in the crisp night air before looking around. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the greenery, stepping off of the Cullens’ porch and padding across the grass. She knew she hadn’t misread Jacob’s signal. He had left, and for some reason, he wanted her to follow.

As she slowly approached the edge of the forest that surrounded the Cullens’ abode, her head was on a constant swivel, searching for the tall werewolf. Hermione was on edge, her wand out. Jacob had the air of someone who was more comfortable in the woods than in a home, and she knew that he could be watching her, right now, and she’d never know unless he showed himself.

She had just reached the beginning of the forest proper when his deep voice startled her.

“I don’t know your name,” he said. Hermione jumped, and searched for the source of the sound, wand out. She finally located him, a few steps into the forest, leaning insouciantly against a tree.

“Hermione,” she said, cautiously moving towards him. She lowered her wand to her side, and observed him where he stood. “And you’re Jacob.”

“I am,” he said, eyes glittering. “Walk with me.”

They began to meander through the woods.

“So,” Hermione said. “You’re a werewolf.”

“Shape-shifter is more accurate,” he said. “I don’t rely on the full moon to shift, and I have control of myself when I do. Besides, werewolves are extinct.”

Hermione barked out a laugh, cutting it off short before she risked offending him. “What are you talking about?”

“The Volturi,” he said carefully. “They hunted down all of the werewolves, and killed them.”

Hermione shook her head. “No, they didn’t. Werewolves still exist, unfortunately, in the Wizarding World. Although, we are trying to diminish their numbers with the wolfsbane potion, and outreach programs, and…” she trailed off at the look of utter confusion he was giving her. “And, you don’t understand any of that, do you?”

Jacob shook his head. “No,” he said, “but I do know one thing.” He moved closer to her, so close that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. “You need to get out of here, Hermione. You need to get back to your Wizarding World, where none of us can find you.” His breath stirred her hair as he whispered, eyes darting around their surroundings.

“Why?” she whispered back, hand tensing around her wand.

“Our world isn’t safe for powerful creatures,” he said quickly. “You need to get out before the Volturi know of your existence.”

Hermione shook her head. “How would they know?” she questioned him. “We won’t tell them, and the Cullens said they are estranged – “

“You and your companions just spent the night with the Cullens,” Jacob said darkly. “The Volturi will know by sundown tomorrow.”

Hermione’s eyes were wide, as she looked up at Jacob. “Why?” she asked in a small voice. “Why are you telling me this?”

Jacob snarled. “You think I’m here by choice? Do you think, that if I could decide for myself, I would abandon my pack for a coven of bloodsuckers?”

“Vampires,” Hermione corrected automatically.

“Whatever,” Jacob said, backing away from her with his palms raised. “The point is, no matter what they say, no matter what they do, I _can’t_ leave.”

Hermione shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“I’m bonded,” Jacob sighed. “To Renesmee. It’s a werewolf – well, my sort of werewolf – thing.”

“Like…a mate?”

Jacob nodded, turning away. “That’s why,” he said. “That’s why I can’t leave. I have to put up with being their pet wolf, I have to put up with following _her_ every whim, I have to put up with the _smell – “_

“The smell?”

Jacob laughed, the sound painful to Hermione’s ears. “The smell,” he agreed, collapsing into a sitting position on the forest floor. “The smell.”

“Jacob, I – “

She was interrupted by the distant sound of the Cullens’ door opening. Jacob’s head shot up. A moment later, the vampires and wizards joined them.

Harry was laughing as Edward set him down, Draco’s mouth in a thin line as he escaped Esme’s clutches. Ron looked a little green as he tumbled off of Carlisle’s back. The three had obviously been introduced to the lightning fast travel the vampires had mentioned.

“Hermione,” Harry said. “It’s almost dawn. We should be getting back.”

“Right,” Hermione said, clearing her throat. “Of course.”

Somehow, in their wanderings through the forest, she and Jacob had reached the very edge. Draco, Ron, and Harry said their goodbyes to the vampires, who sped off back to the house.

“Jacob?” Renesmee asked, lingering behind a moment more. She grabbed Jacob’s hand possessively. “Are you coming?”

“Give me a second,” Jacob said, making eye contact with Hermione. “I want to make sure they actually leave.”

Renesmee giggled, patting his cheek. “Of course you do. I’ll see you back at the house.” With that, she disappeared, speeding in the same direction the others had went.

Harry, Ron, and Draco were already out of the forest, waiting for Hermione.

“Hermione?” Ron called, squinting back at the forest. He could barely see Hermione where she was hovering just within the treeline.

“Coming!” she called back.

Jacob smirked. “You’d better go, witch,” he said. “File your report on the creatures in the woods.”

Hermione smiled half-heartedly. “Will I – I mean, we – see you again?”

He shrugged. “I’ll ask Alice,” he said bitterly. “She’d know better than I would.” He offered Hermione a small smile, before he pivoted on his heel and started back towards the Cullens’ home.

“Jacob.”

The quiet sound of her voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned around. The witch was standing at the edge of the forest. The soft light of daybreak illuminated her figure, making it appear as though she were glowing.

“Jacob, you deserve better.” Her voice was soft, almost inaudible. So quiet that if he didn’t have his heightened hearing abilities, he wouldn’t have heard her.

He could feel an aching pain in his heart, like he was being ripped in two. And Jacob knew his every emotion was being displayed on his face. Bella always said he wore his heart on his sleeve.

Jacob’s shoulders shook as he responded. “I know.”

Then he phased, and melted back into the forest.

. . . . . . . . . .


	3. Cursed

. . . . . . . . . .

Alice was in her day room.

It was a small, box-like space - a closet, really. She had appropriated it for her own use soon after the family had arrived in Kent. Her predictions were unpredictable, usually, but when she was actually looking for something, she preferred to do it in private. In the dark. 

Right now, she was looking for the wizards. 

No doubt they had made half a dozen decisions after leaving the Cullens’ this morning. Each of those decisions would have their own path, that would lead straight to...Nothing. 

Alice couldn’t see them.

Her brow wrinkled, and she closed her eyes more resolutely. She could see them. She had to. They were human, weren’t they? Humans who had just so happened to be born into a society that taught them how to use wands. They were still human, and therefore, she should be able to see them. 

There was still nothing. Alice sighed, opening her eyes. She snuffed out the candle closest to her (cinnamon apple) and glanced around the room. Two other candles were still burning, filling their room with heady scent, made even more intense by her heightened sense of smell. Esme collected candles, and none of the other Cullens could stand them. Edward had compared being in a room with candles with being in a high school cafeteria - except instead of excessive, painful noise, it was excessive smell. 

A knock on the door startled her. She almost stood, preparing to fight, before she remembered herself. 

“Come in, Jacob.”

The wolf opened the door, leaning against the door jamb. For once, he was wearing a shirt. He scowled at her. “Find anything?”

Alice frowned. “No. Nothing.”

Jacob’s jaw clenched, and he shifted against the frame. “I told you. They’re not human.”

She shook her head. “But they should be,” she argued. “They have no enhanced abilities, aside from being able to use a wand.”

Jacob shrugged. “We should move,” he said. “They know your secrets, and you can’t see their plans.”

Alice shook her head, patting Jacob’s shoulder on her way out of her room. “They were transparent enough,” she reassured him. “I’m sure that today was the last we’ll hear of them.”

Jacob watched her walk away, a serene smile on her face. A familiar feeling rose up in his chest, threatening to bubble over. He clenched and unclenched a fist methodically. _Breathe_ , he reminded himself. _In, out. Breathe._

His ability to prevent a transformation was astounding. If he ever made it back home, they would be impressed. Or shocked. Seth had been ecstatic when he learned Jacob was going to be traveling with the Cullens, physically in his twenties forever and ever. Even as he had returned to Sam’s pack, he had been happy for Jacob. 

Jacob hadn’t lost control in years. He didn’t have to change, ever. He could age, if he wanted to. 

If only it were that easy to shed his leash. 

He stalked down the hall, gliding down the stairs silently. He was almost at the door when the familiar breeze of a vampire speeding to a stop brushed by him. 

Renesmee stood in front of him, her hands braced against his shoulders. Instantly, he could see himself, dark and brooding, walking towards the door. There was a familiar questioning lilt in Renesmee's memory. 

He shook his head, grasping Renesmee’s wrists and lifting them away from him. “I’m just going for a run,” he said. “I’ll be back.”

“I’ll come with you,” she offered, her voice clear. 

“No,” Jacob said instantly, the word dropping out of his mouth. It sounded harsher than he had meant it to. He softened his tone, continuing, “I need to clear my head, Nessie.”

She nodded, stepping aside, her arms hugging herself. He reached for the door, opening it. 

“Jacob.” Her voice stopped him, half inside the Cullens’ house, half outside. He looked around the door, staring at her with a question in his eyes. 

She bit her lip. “I couldn’t communicate with the strangers,” she confessed. “I put my hand on the redhead’s cheek, and I tried, but I couldn’t.”

Jacob suppressed a sigh. The angry, biting feeling was still settled on his chest, weighing him down and making it difficult to breathe. 

“No one knows how your powers work, Nessie,” he said gruffly. “Least of all me. I wouldn’t stress over it.”

With that, he was out the door. Her faint “okay” echoed behind him. By that point, he was already racing down the lawn, towards the trees, shedding his shirt and shoes. 

He resisted the urge to howl up at the blue, blue sky as soon as he shifted, darting through the trees and over the undergrowth until he was exhausted. He collapsed at the base of an old oak. 

As he caught his breath, he registered that he was at the edge of the woods...the exact same place he had said goodbye to the witch, that morning. 

He remembered the faint light of the rising sun shining behind her, and the way she seemed to glow. If anyone were magic, it would be her. 

Jacob didn’t believe in magic. He hadn’t, ever since he had learned that werewolves and vampires were real, and their existence was more horror than fairytale. His curse was magic enough for him, and he couldn’t imagine there was any magic left in the world. 

_You deserve better._

The witch’s words echoed in his ears, and he remembered her eyes searching his soul. There was no pity in them. Only understanding. 

He had no way to contact her - the wizards hadn’t left behind any instructions with the Cullens. Even if they had, he didn’t want to ask Carlisle about this, or Esme, or Bella. He didn’t want them to know that he thought he was cursed. 

Of course, they had mentioned they were based in London. 

Jacob smirked. Who could ignore a giant wolf, wandering around Hyde Park? He doubted the witch would. 

A wolf-mate was a curse. Renesmee was a curse. If he was cursed, then maybe, just maybe, this new type of magic could be a cure. 

. . . . . . . . . . .


	4. To Meddle, or Not to Meddle

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Oi, Malfoy - stick to the shade, will you? You don’t want the rest of the world to know -”

“I sparkle, I shine, yes, _I know,_ can we be done with it already?” Malfoy shot Ron the side-eye. Ron undeterred, grinned back. 

“I’m sorry, Malfoy,” he said. “I’m sure you didn’t want the rest of us to find out your vampiric heritage in this way…”

Draco threw his hands up in the air, whirling around to face Harry. The Auror sat behind his desk, chuckling. 

“I’m barely in here and he’s already jabbing me!” Draco whined. “This is not how a consultant ought to be treated, Potter!”

Hermione poked her head in the doorway, and shared a grimace with Ron at Draco’s tone. 

“Leave off, Draco,” Harry said. “He’s just teasing.”

“Just teasing?” Draco was turning alarming shades of red. “Well, then I’ll be ‘just teasing’ when I stick my wand up his -”

“Draco!” Hermione intervened, stepping wholly into Harry’s office. She shut the door behind her. “Ron, stop provoking him. Harry, really? You’re Deputy Head Auror, I would think you could control Malfoy and Ron.”

Harry shrank back. “Sorry, ‘Mione,” he mumbled. “Only, it’s not as if they’re causing any harm.”

Draco huffed, dramatically throwing himself into the chair across from Harry. Hermione shook her head, sighing. 

“Moving on,” she said, sinking into the chair next to Draco. She pulled a stack of paper from seemingly nowhere, placing it on Harry’s desk. “I’ve gone through all the official paperwork concerning our visit to Kent. Have any of you anything to add?”

Ron shrugged, peeling himself off the wall and propping himself up against Harry’s desk. “They seemed nice enough to me,” he said. “I don’t think they’ll be causing any problems, so long as we don’t poke our noses into their business.”

“Yeah,” Harry nodded. “I think if we just leave well enough alone, we’re in the clear.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Draco. “Surely you have an opinion?”

“I want nothing to do with the bloodsuckers,” Draco sneered.

“Vampires,” Hermione corrected him absently, pulling the paperwork towards her. “I don’t know...did any of you think the werewolf was a little bit, I don’t know, odd?”

“What, the big, muscle-y fellow?” Draco asked. Hermione nodded. 

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance. “Maybe not _odd,_ per say,” Harry said slowly. “They all were fairly normal…”

“Except for him,” Ron finished, folding his arms. “Hermione, you’re our creatures expert. Aren’t werewolves and vampires hereditary enemies?”

Hermione bit her lip. “Well, it’s not as though he’s a normal werewolf,” she hedged. “He can control when he changes, for one…”

Harry leaned forward. “But Ron’s right, isn’t he?” he asked, staring earnestly at Hermione. “They’re normally enemies. So why is - er, what was his name -”

“Jacob,” Draco filled in. Harry snapped his fingers. 

“Right, Jacob - why is Jacob living in such close quarters with so many vampires? He didn’t seem very happy about it, from what I could tell.”

“Who cares?” Draco said. “The Weasel said it himself - so long as we leave them alone, they’ll leave us alone. The werewolf can handle his own problems. I want to move on. When can we get our next case?”

Harry frowned at him. “We haven’t turned in the paperwork for this case yet, so technically it’s still open.”

“The point is, do we leave them be, or do we investigate further into this werewolf business?” Ron tapped his fingers against the desk. “I mean, what do we think is going on here? They said that he was Renesmee’s mate…”

“Right,” Draco interrupted hurriedly. “Which clearly means he wants to be there and is very, very happy with the creepy vampire-human. That’s what ‘mate’ means, after all. Case closed!”

“What if he didn’t mate with her on purpose?” Hermione burst out, tucking her legs up under her and sitting up straighter. Her eyes were distant, caught on her last glimpse of Jacob, stuck in the shadows. “He told me he didn’t want to be there. He told me he was stuck.”

“When?” Ron asked curiously. 

Hermione blushed. “Er - in the woods. Before we left.”

“Right,” Harry said, raising his eyebrows. “I suppose it comes down to this: Do we leave it be, file the report, and move on with our lives… or do we try to help this Jacob fellow, and accept the consequences of our actions?”

“Move on,” Draco said immediately. The trio stared at him. “What?” he asked, raising his hands defensively. “Did you forget we’re dealing with vampires here? The ‘consequences’ Potter speaks of could be deadly.”

Hermione sighed, her shoulders sagging. Ron brought a hand to his face, stroking his chin absentmindedly. “He’s right, you know,” he said quietly. “We know next to nothing about their type of vampire, and the kind of governing they’re subject to.”

She nodded acceptance. “I don’t like it,” she said. “But if we’re all in agreement…” Hermione glanced around the room. Draco stared at her steadfastly, secure in his decision. Leaning back in his chair, Harry exchanged an uneasy glance with Ron, but neither of them voiced any dissension. She sighed. “I’ll go file this paperwork, then.”

“Finally!” Draco threw his hands up in the air in a mock Hallelujah. “We get a new case!” 

Ron rolled his eyes. “How much more of this do we have to put up with?” he muttered to Harry. Hermione glanced at Draco as she gathered the papers, making sure everything was in order. His lips tightened. 

“Only six months,” he said flatly. Then, a smirk grew on his face. “Then, you’ll have to deal with me as a co-worker.”

“You don’t honestly think Kingsley’s going to sign off on you becoming an Auror?” Ron snorted, shaking his head. 

Draco shrugged. “I don’t need Kingsley,” he said flippantly. “I just need you two twits to acknowledge the good work I’ve been doing, sign off on a few papers, and into training I go.”

Ron sneered. “As if -”

“Ron, don’t,” Harry said quietly, studying Draco. He had been suspiciously quiet for a few minutes now. “He’s helped us out quite a bit, you can’t deny it.”

Hermione raised her eyebrows, her gaze darting between the three men - who, despite their age, she still often thought of as boys. “Well, on that pleasant note,” she said, standing, “I’ll be off.”

“I’ll come with you,” Ron said, dashing to open the door for her. 

Just as his hand landed on the handle, someone knocked on the other side. Ron opened the door quickly, meeting the bemused glance of the intern on the other side. 

“Er - Auror Potter,” she said, leaning sideways to see Harry around the other three. “There’s a wolf, in Hyde Park.”

Ron huffed out a laugh. “A what?”

Draco groaned. Harry got out of his seat, and made his way to the door, his brows furrowing. Hermione followed, standing at his shoulder. 

“A wolf,” the intern said nervously. “Quite a big one, too. They think it might be magic in origin...the muggles are making a to-do about it, I hear. Head Auror Rackleburt wants your team to check it out. He says it might be related to your last assignment.”

Harry turned his head, wide eyes connecting with Hermione’s. 

“Jacob,” she breathed. Shoving the papers back on Harry’s desk, she pulled Draco to his feet and dragged him to Harry and Ron. “Let’s go.”

The boys nodded at her seriously, collecting their gear and trailing behind her as she raced to an Apparation point. Draco was left in the hall, staring after them. As they raced away, he slowly began to run after them, dragging his feet. 

“Bloody hell,” he griped. “We’re never going to get a new case.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


	5. Wolves in Hyde Park

It had never occurred to Jacob that his plan was dangerous. 

That was his problem, Renesmee was always telling him. He just didn’t think. 

Now, as he raised his hackles, cornered, he cursed his thoughtlessness. 

His plan had been going perfectly. It was easy to get to London, and to find Hyde Park from there - even easier to transform, and scare a few humans. 

He thought that Hermione and her cohorts would be the first ones on the scene. Needless to say, he was wrong. 

First, the human police and animal control showed up. (Jacob snarled at that. He was  _ not  _ some mindless beast who needed to be caged.) He found himself corralled into one section of the park. Then the wizards showed up - but he didn’t recognize any of them. They surrounded him, their wands aimed. 

_ Okay,  _ Jacob thought, assessing the situation.  _ I need a new plan.  _

Unfortunately, he couldn’t think of one - short of transforming. And if he transformed, he could be vulnerable to their spells. He growled to himself.  _ Dammit.  _

One of the wizards reacted to his growl, raising his wand defensively. 

“Stupe -”

“WAIT!” 

Jacob tensed at the shriek that echoed through the air. The circle of armed wizards was suddenly broken, and a familiar curly-haired witch fell through. 

“Wait!” she panted, holding the wizards back. Jacob relaxed, and watched, waiting to see if he was safe yet. 

“Hermione, what do you think - oh, bloody hell.” It was the redhead again, tumbling through the barrier after Hermione. “Harry - she was right, it’s the werewolf.”

The dark-haired wizard - Harry - pushed through. At his signal, the rest of the wizards relaxed. Some were still on their guard, as the three drew closer to Jacob. 

He paced back and forth, his eyes following them. 

“Jacob,” Hermione breathed. “It’s you, isn’t it?”

“Of course it’s him, how many other giant wolves do you know?” the redhead grumbled. 

“Ron,” Harry warned. 

Ron made a face, but he fell silent, letting Hermione take the lead. 

“Jacob?” She was much closer now. Reaching out a hand, she hovered, just above Jacob’s fur. He stopped pacing, the nervous energy inside him settling. Bowing his head, he allowed her to touch him. 

“I thought so.” She laughed, a nervous exhalation. “Will you change back? Only, it’s rather difficult to talk to you when you’re in this form.”

Jacob snorted, rolling his eyes.  _ No mind-readers here,  _ he thought. Whirling around, he raced towards a nearby tree before they could stop him. He heard shouts of surprise, and a few brightly coloured lights whizzed past him. 

In one moment, he darted behind the tree, a wolf. In the next, he circled the tree, and walked out from behind it a human. 

The trio of wizards grinned at him as he approached. Harry waved at the other wizards, commanding them to stand down. Now that Jacob wasn’t a giant wolf anymore, they acquiesced, dispersing. 

“Good to see you, mate,” Ron said.

“We weren’t expecting a visit,” Harry said, rubbing the back of his neck. He was clearly distracted, his eyes darting back to the chaos surrounding them every few seconds. 

“Yeah,” Jacob said sheepishly. “I didn’t exactly know how to find you…”

“So you decide the best way to get our attention is to show up as a wolf in Hyde Park?” Hermione surmised. 

Jacob pulled a face. “Not exactly the best plan, in hindsight,” he admitted.

Ron shrugged. “I thought it was brilliant,” he said. “I mean...we’re here, so it worked, didn’t it?”

“It did,” Jacob smirked. 

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Why don’t we go somewhere a little quieter, to talk?” she proposed. “Harry has to manage this scene you caused, and Draco’s probably kicking his heels back at the office…”

“Draco is  _ not  _ back at the office,” Ron said. “Draco is over there, talking to the civilians.” 

Jacob and Hermione turned, and looked in the direction Ron was pointing. Sure enough, there was Draco, his white-blond hair shining like a beacon in the morning light. 

“He’s awfully sparkly for a human,” Jacob noted. 

“Ha!” Ron threw his hands up in the air. “Did you hear that, Harry? Hermione? I am  _ justified _ !”

Harry growled with frustration. “Gah - he  _ knows  _ he’s not supposed to talk to the muggles.” He clapped Jacob on the shoulder. “See you back at the office. Ron, come on. We’ve got to go deal with this mess.”

Jacob winced as Harry and Ron marched away - Harry to wrangle Draco, Ron to begin clean-up. “Sorry,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “I didn’t mean to cause a fuss.”

“It’s fine,” Hermione waved it away. “Harry and Ron are surprisingly good at their jobs. They’ll have it sorted within the next hour, watch.”

“Surprisingly?” Jacob raised his eyebrows. 

Hermione shrugged. “I suppose Harry’s always been good at organizing people, and seeing the big picture, and Ron’s always been good with the details. But I’ve always seen them as the two idiots who couldn’t manage to get their homework done in time.”

She began to walk, and Jacob followed alongside her. “Old school pals?”

“Of a sort,” Hermione said. “We sort of saved the world together once, too.”

Jacob laughed. “No kidding?”

“No kidding,” Hermione grinned. “There was an evil Dark Lord, a prophecy, and everything.”

“Wow,” Jacob whistled. “We just managed to outsmart the Volturi. There wasn’t even a real battle.”

“I’m sure that you were very brave,” Hermione said, patting him on the arm. 

He grimaced. “I didn’t even see most of it, actually,” he said. “Bella sent me away with Renesmee the moment it started looking bad.”

“Really?” Hermione turned her full attention to Jacob. “Why?”

“They would have killed Renesmee,” Jacob said. “Bella didn’t want that. If it ended in a fight, she and Edward weren’t planning on surviving. So they sent me with Renesmee, and a bunch of forged documents and cash.”

A dark shadow passed over his face. Hermione stopped walking. 

“But that didn’t happen,” she said quietly. “You all survived.”

Jacob nodded. “Yeah. Renesmee and I ran into Alice and Jasper on our way out, and they kept us from getting too far. They had brought the solution to the problem, see.”

“What was it?”

Jacob smiled wryly. “Not it, who. A man named Nahuel.”

“How was he the solution?”

“He’s a halfling, like Nessie,” Jacob explained, his mouth twisting like he had bit into a lemon. “It’s complicated, but the gist of it is that he proved Nessie wasn’t dangerous.”

“You don’t like him too much,” Hermione observed. “Is he competition?”

Jacob’s expression closed itself off. He shrugged, looking around and changing the subject. “Is your office somewhere around here?”

Hermione made a face, and let it go. “Not exactly,” she hedged. “This is the Apparation point.”

Jacob furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Apparition point?”

She shook her head. “Appar _ ation  _ point. Think teleportation. Anyway, we’ve got to apparate from this point to the Ministry point. That’s where the Auror office is.”

“Hang on - teleportation??” Jacob’s eyes were wide. “That is  _ so cool.” _

Hermione winced. “Er - how about you try it, then you can tell me what you think,” she said, holding out a hand. 

Jacob took it. “We’re just going to...poof?”

She sighed. “Poof.”

They disappeared with a  _ crack. _


End file.
